Objetivo
To develop a polymer system for enhancing oil displacement efficiency which will be suitable for the saline, high temperature conditions encountered in european reservoirs.
Conventional poly(acrylamide) mobility control agents were shown to have inadequate stability and poor flow behaviour in porous media. Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) was the only synthetic polymer with sufficient stability, but its viscosifying properties were unacceptable. Purified scleroglucan biopolymer gave excellent viscosifying properties in sea water at 90 deg. C. Without significant deterioration for more than a year. The development was not taken beyond the laboratory stage because of difficulty in obtaining sufficient purified polymer in a form suitable for injection and because there was no suitable opportunity for a field trial.
By decreasing the mobility of water in a reservoir, a small proportion of dissolved polymer can reduce the extent to which oil is by-passed because of the high viscosity of the oil or because of the existence of relatively high permeability channels in the reservoir. Previous laboratory research and field tests on polymer flooding had been restricted to low salinity, low temperature conditions and so the main task was to ensure that polymers could be made to operate under european reservoir conditions for long periods. The possibility of augmenting the polymer flooding process with the aid of chemical additives such as surfactants was also investigated.
Programa(s)
Tema(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Data not availableRégimen de financiación
DEM - Demonstration contractsCoordinador
EC24 9BU London
Reino Unido